Generation Ooo
by Fractal-Velocity
Summary: Elsa has been abducted and it is up to Hellion and the others to save her. But when they have to travel to an unknown realm and face the dark twisted monsters there...will they be able to get to her in time? Adventure awaits as the X-Men and Jack team up with the realm's most heroic heroes- Finn the Last Human and Jake... the dog.
1. The Queen, the Creep, and the Portal

**Disclaimer: These characters all belong to Marvel, Disney and... uhm.. Pendelton Ward? Cartoon Network? i dunno.. whoever owns Adventure Time. only my plot :P**

**note; if you're a new reader, i kindly request you to read Generation X, a Frozen/X-men fic that kindaa sets this whole thing in motion. this is the sequel. so yeah.**

**note2; if you're one of my GenX baes then... what are you waiting for?! keep reading!**

* * *

><p>'What. The. Hell.'<p>

'Jack... wait no-!'

The doors burst open and the Guardian strode in with fury in his icy eyes.

'I leave you people for a few hours- a few HOURS! And you mean to tell me she's GONE?!' he screamed through gritted teeth, waving his wooden staff in Hellion's general direction.

The telekinetic batted it away.

'It's not my fault,' he began.

'You expect me to believe that? You were the only other person there, how could you be that incompetent?!'

'How do you even know that?' Hellion sighed in annoyance, barely masking his irritated expression.

'The little kid told me,' Jack replied, still brimming with anger.

Hellion shot Trance a furious glare. The small girl flashed an apologetic grin and hid in the shadows of the room.

'Well... whatever you heard- wait... why are you even here?' Hellion asked the Guardian in suspicion.

'A portal opened... why would I not be here?' Jack replied snappily.

'We open portals all the time and you've never showed up!' Hellion shot back, telekinetically batting Jack's staff against the wall.

The Guardian bristled.

'Well this portal was massive and it was just after a WAR what did you think we'd do?' Jack snapped.

Hellion growled. 'I don't know. Maybe you'd sit back on your lazy asses like you always did.'

'We never-,' Jack began, reaching for his staff.

'Spare me, kid. We've saved the world waay more times than you have,' Hellion spat venomously.

Jack made a sound at the back of his throat that sounded like he was going to explode.

'Well if that's the case, why couldn't you save her?!' he gritted out, brandishing his newly acquired staff in anger.

Hellion paused. 'You little shit,' he said, before reaching out with both arms to tackle the wiry kid to the ground.

'STOP!' someone shouted, and Hellion felt himself being lifted away from the tiny Guardian who was now squashed into the carpet.

Trance's astral form held him aloft in the air long enough for them to exchange fleeting glares, and then he was on the floor.

'Ungh,' he grunted.

'Bumpy landing,' Trance warned belatedly, from across the room.

'Get back here,' Jack was groaning. 'Coward.'

Trance's astral figure kicked him in his side.

'Get over your petty ego, Frosty,' real Trance snapped. 'You_ are_ pretty useless.'

Hellion snorted happily.

'You too, Hellion. I can't believe you let Els be kidnapped... princess-napped… whatever,' the petite pixie-like mutant shrieked in annoyance. 'Now stop acting like brats and DO SOMETHING. YOU TWO ARE SUPPOSED TO BE POWERFUL, GODDAMMIT!'

'Ouch,' Surge chuckled, appearing behind Trance from the doorway.

'Oh,' Trance mumbled. 'Didn't see you there, Surge.'

'Chill, girl,' the blue haired mutant replied, laughing it off.

Her strained laughter faltered as she caught sight of the Guardian sprawled on the floor.

'What's he doing here?' she seethed, crouching into an offensive battle-stance.

Trance sighed. 'Am I the only one who doesn't hate him?' she asked herself.

Hellion nodded with a scowl.

'Listen,' Jack said softly, raising his arms in an appeal. 'I'm here to help.'

'Who says we need your help?' Surge replied snappily.

'Calm down!' Trance sighed heavily. 'You're destroying your own auras.'

Everyone fell into a silence.

'Our... what?' Jack ventured after a while.

'Wow. Talking like Blindfold really shuts people up,' Trance noted brightly.

'Ugh, that stupid blind seer,' Surge growled to herself.

'You really hate her huh,' Hellion observed quietly.

'Surge hates everybody,' Trance supplied cheekily.

The blue haired mutant looked like she was about to object but something stopped her.

'You guys,' she said loudly. 'Focus. Operation: Save-The-Ice-Queen must start now!'

Hellion grew forlorn.

'Oh spare us your pouting, Green Bean, and do some plan-making,' Trance squealed, racing for the desk that sat in a corner of the room.

'Green Bean?' Hellion asked as he followed her.

Jack walked behind him, casting occasional glances in Surge's way as if he were trying to figure her out.

'Yeah, it's a nickname,' Trance replied as she whipped out a pad of paper and a pen. 'Green for you know... your powers.'

'And "bean"?'

A pause. 'It rhymes.'

Hellion sighed.

'What are we going to do about Elsa?' Jack asked sullenly.

'Why don't you think something up if you're so clever?' Surge snapped at him with a scowl.

Jack looked confused. 'I never said I was cleverer than any of you,' he protested weakly.

'Oh boohoo,' Surge mumbled mockingly.

Jack was torn between wanting to run away and falling to his knees while ripping his hair out. This girl made him want to scream... why was she so cruel? Women in this century wore him out. And not in the good way.

Was there even a good way?

Trance shot the Guardian a pitied look. 'Chill, Sparks,' she mumbled. 'Give Frosty a break.'

'Nicknames for all of us,' Hellion observed grimly. 'Yay.'

'So here's the plan,' Trance interjected in a louder tone of voice.

Jack jumped, startled. 'Where- what is it?'

The young mutant gestured at the blank pad of paper.

'It's waiting for you pig brains to quit fighting and start thinking,' she said.

They sighed and grudgingly began to plot in their minds.

* * *

><p>'So she went in a portal?' Jack asked tentatively, breaking the growing silence.<p>

'I thought you knew that,' Hellion retorted, raising a brow.

'Can it, Green,' Trance snapped.

'Yeah it was a portal,' the telekinetic answered sullenly.

Jack sat back to think.

'Can you guys open portals?' Trance asked after a while.

'Yes,' Jack answered.

Trance nodded slowly. She sat back too.

'Well why don't you open up a portal and save Elsa already?!' Surge interrupted angrily.

Jack raised his brows. 'I don't know who took her or what realm they went to.'

Trance sighed. 'Stop trying to be smart Sparks, you're killing the vibe.'

Surge snorted. She didn't like this.

At all.

A great silence ensued.

'How do you open portals?' Hellion asked at last.

Jack started. He didn't realize he was being spoken to.

'Um... I... uh we use magic,' he supplied.

'Well duh, tell us something we don't know,' Surge muttered darkly.

'We use crystals from up North where Nick lives,' Jack amended hastily.

'Nick?' Trance questioned.

'You call him Santa. Anyway, the crystals possess enough magic to tear a gap between the realms. It sounds horrid, but it's safe. It wouldn't be if I use my own magic. That's why I carry this around wherever I go,' Jack continued, pulling a rope necklace out of his shirt. 'I use them to come down here and go back. I used one today.

The fraying necklace was made casually out of a dark fine rope, and was tied carelessly at the end. Towards the middle, there hung three gleaming crystals, jagged and sharp edged, reflecting the warm colors of the room. They all stared at it warily. 'So we smash one of those and open a giant portal?' Surge guessed.

Jack nodded. 'Sort of, yeah. But we have to know where we're going. If not we could end up in Limbo.'

The X-Men froze involuntarily. Just the mention of that realm left them uneasy.

Jack didn't understand.

He ploughed on awkwardly, trying his best to ignore the sudden uncomfortableness.

'We could all go I guess- one crystal is enough to let all the Guardians through.'

'What does that mean snow boy?' Surge demanded. 'I thought we were all going anyway- no questions asked.'

'It's "Frosty"... use the right name,' Trance sighed.

'No, one crystal portal can only support five people-no more,' Jack answered warily.

'So we can all go,' Surge rolled her eyes.

'Yes...that's what I said,' Jack groaned in confusion.

Hellion's palm met his forehead with a slap. 'We're never going to work this out.'

'Don't worry, Green. We will,' Trance whispered soothingly. 'I know a thing or two about portals.'

All three of the others shot her a questioning glare.

'Oh come on,' she moaned. 'Which one of you were best friends with Pixie the portal maker? Me... Yes that's right.'  
>Surge and Hellion flinched at the name.<p>

'Go on,' Jack urged.

'Well, truth be told Pixie didn't really make portals per se,' Trance mumbled to herself. 'But she did teleport- which is kinda the same thing. Sparks, I can see you trying to argue and I'm telling you now- don't. Anyway, portals are generally magical. Unless you're Hank and you scientifically rip a hole through the fabric of space and time.'

'Get to the point,' Surge sighed.

'I'm going there!' the brunette snapped. 'Ugh, you're making me cranky too. My aura is soo getting killed.'

'You've been hanging around Blindfold for too long,' Hellion observed.

'Who's Blindfold?' Jack asked, curiously.

Surge frowned at him. 'She has no eyes,' she deadpanned.

Jack recoiled in revulsion.

'Would you guys just listen?' Trance moaned. 'Magical portals take up quite a lot of power- not too much, but enough to leave a trace. Think of it like a magical carbon footprint. This portal was massive, so the footprint it left must be huge.'

'Can we trace this footprint?' Hellion asked eagerly.

Trance grinned. 'You're catching on, Greenie. We can trace it to where the portal was opened- not the exact location but somewhere close by.'

'And how do we do that?' Surge asked skeptically.

'I can do it,' Jack offered suddenly.

'Excuse me what?' Surge asked, whipping her head around to glare at him. 'Who asked you?'

Jack ignored her. 'I can sense the magical residue. That _is_ what you were talking about right- a magical residue? I can sense it just like I sensed the portal when it was in use.'

Trance clapped her hands in glee. 'Amazing! I thought we would have to steal Hank's tech for that bit. This plan is much better.'

'And then what?' Surge asked sullenly. 'Do I get to do anything?'

'Not yet,' Trance answered, still cheerful. 'Jack you said you can open portals with your _own_ magic, yeah?'

'Yes, but its dangerous,' the Guardian answered, alarmed. 'That's why I use-,'

'The crystals, yeah, yeah,' Trance waved his objections away. 'I'm not asking you to open one- I just wanted to know if you could.'

'Well what's the point of that if I'm never going to open one anyway?' Jack asked suspiciously, his blue eyes narrowed.

Trance beamed. 'You're going to have to _reverse_ one that's why.'

'Reverse a portal?' he asked in confusion.

'That's ridiculous,' Surge snorted.

'Well I don't hear anyone else's genius plans!' Trance snapped. 'And it was just a suggestion.'

'Probably the only suggestion we'll ever get,' Hellion said, sighing heavily. 'Surge we're not going to be able to form a purely intricate plan in time.'

The blue haired mutant scowled.

'How do I reverse it?' Jack asked tentatively.

Trance glanced over to him. 'Let's go to the site and find the portal first. Then I'll tell you what to do.'

* * *

><p>They found the elm in front of which the portal had opened.<p>

'I thought the portal was in the sky?' Hellion asked in confusion.

'That was probably the portal's trajectory through the realms. It entered our realm through up there,' Jack explained waving an arm at the dark night sky. 'And it opened down here.'

'You sure it's here?' Trance asked from beside the tree.

'It has a residue so foreign it can't be missed,' Jack answered with a self satisfied grin.

Surge wanted to slap it off his face, but something held her back. Curiously she asked; 'What kind of residue does it have?'

Jack started. Was she talking to him?

'Like can you hear it? Or smell it? Or can you see it?' Surge was saying.

He stared at her for a while longer before answering.

'There's a taste in the air. Usually it feels crisp and slightly burnt. Maybe even minty if North opens his portals. Sandy's portals are slightly dusty and have an overwhelming taste of mothballs. Tooth's portals are very bad- she sucks at it. And they taste too sweet.'

'What about the kangaroo?' Surge asked, berating herself inwardly for ever starting a conversation with him.

But she wanted to know.

About these portals. About what Megan knew. Maybe then she could understand her? Was her knowledge too much? Did she know dark things?

Jack pulled her from her reverie.

'Bunnymund doesn't do portals,' he said with a nostalgic wry smile.

'Over here, you two,' Trance called irritably. 'Quit slacking off!'

Jack shook his head with a grin and walked over to the tree. 'So now I reverse it?'

'Yup. Basically, you've just gotta- _well_… I dunno.'

'Trance,' Hellion began.

'I'm sorry; I'm not a portal _genius!_ But I got us this far didn't I?' Trance pouted.

'Well what do I do?' Jack asked in worry.

'I thought you would know that!' Trance replied woefully.

'Hold it,' Surge called. 'Calm your faces. Maybe you've just got to_ reverse_ it.'

'Well that helps, keep going,' Jack replied sarcastically, flipping his stark white hair.

Surge scowled deeply. 'Maybe you've just got to change the direction back. Like when you make a portal you try thinking of where you're going. So reverse it and think of where _he_ came from.'

'Who?'

'The dude who took Elsa.'

'Ah.'

'That actually makes sense, Sparks,' Trance grinned.

Surge acknowledged this with a sharp nod.

'So wait,' Jack called. 'I'll have to use the residue.'

'Why?' Trance asked with a frown.

'I can't trace him back if I make my own portal, independently to his.'

'So make it.'

'Well, there's not enough magic residue to create a big portal.'

'Why, Universe?' Hellion asked with a groan. 'Have we enough obstacles already?'

'Maybe you can mix in a bit of your own magic,' Surge offered.

'I'll try,' Jack sighed.

He leaned towards the spot he'd said the portal had been and began frowning resiliently at it. Sparks flew and the area became fogged over with mist.

'Well, we've got the right spot, at least,' Trance mumbled.

Jack grunted in reply.

He thrust his hands forward carefully into the milky mist swirling around before him and began stirring it around. His fingers combed through the white tendrils and batted them away. The sparks grew into flashes of light and magic. The wind howled a little louder. The mist turned darker, and the flashes of light glowed green.

The mutants watched with bated breath.

The sparks receded and the light stopped flashing and instead expanded into a constant bluish glow. The mist faded out to the confines of the circular portal area, but nothing had opened.

Through the ring of mist and light they could just see the rest of the elm and the forest.

The wind screamed past them. Above their heads the clouds began to stir. Jack stiffened slightly and when he spoke, his voice sounded very strained and hollow.

'I got it,' he said softly. 'I found the way back.'

He opened his eyes and they glowed a brilliant white. He frowned slightly and his lips twisted into a grim line.

He spread his hands, leaving a frosty trail behind, and the air within the mist circle snapped with a screaming sound. Before the others could even shield their ears, the fabric concealing their own realm from every other tore apart, laving a giant gaping void. The mist swirled ominously around the tear in time and space, circling it protectively.

'Hurry,' Jack mumbled tersely. 'I can't hold it open any longer.'

The mutants stirred anxiously.

'Me first,' Hellion decided, as he headed for the obsidian void.

Something pushed past him and he barely registered it as Trance catapulted herself into the portal headfirst. 'You snooze, you lose!' she yelled as she went, whisked away by the magic.

'Trance no!' Hellion cried, leaping into it himself.

Surge sighed. 'There better not be any giant caterpillars there,' she mumbled, before stepping in reluctantly.

Jack sighed. This was going to be interesting.

He held the portal open for a heart beat longer, and then threw himself in after them.

* * *

><p>The darkness that greeted them was so densely blinding, they stood disoriented for five whole minutes.<p>

'I can't believe it,' Trance muttered. 'This must be what Blindfold sees everyday.'

'I can't believe it,' Surge snapped irritably. 'We're lost.

'No,' Jack protested. 'This is where the portal came from. Sort of.'

'What does that mean, Frosty?' Hellion asked carefully.

'This may not be exactly where the portal was made, _Green_,' Jack replied sullenly. 'But this definitely is the realm he came from.'

'Who?'

'The guy who stole Elsa- duh!' Jack snapped loudly.

'Quit yelling,' Surge complained.

'Yeah what was that about?' Hellion groaned, searching blindly in the darkness for someone to slap.

'Well someone was being irritating,' Jack replied stubbornly.

'We didn't even say anything,' Trance said.

'You didn't?' Jack asked quietly.

'You're hearing things.'

'Yeah, maybe I am,' he mumbled.

'Now what are you saying?'

'Surge, was that you?'

'Trance?'

'Yeah, you told me I was hearing things.'

'No, I think she told _me_ that.'

'Shut up both of you.'

'I didn't say anything!'

'Stop yelling, Sparks!'

'You stop!'

'You people are fun!'

The mutants and Guardian froze.

'Uhm…,' Hellion ventured.

Suddenly, the blackness lifted like a curtain and a strange filtered light illuminated their surroundings.

They were in a garden, a small backyard of sorts. It resembled the Bennett's garden to some extent, but most of the plants were overgrown and creepy. It was dawn in this new realm, and warm rays of sunlight were filtering through one end of the strange place they were in. It seemed to be a cave. Light streamed dully from the mouth of the cave but failed to illuminate its furthest reaches. The cave ceiling was raised high above them and disappeared deep into the shadows. Before them, sitting in the middle of the cave floor, was a pink house.

On the doorstep was a girl.

She stood there watching them with a lopsided grin.

No- she _floated_ there.

Her matt red boots hovered inches off the ground, followed by her tattered, casual jeans and her red plaid shirt. Surge glared at her hair in envy. Thick raven locks fluttered in the wind, dangling down to her waist and completely engulfing her entire frame, like a cape.

It was beautiful and scary.

Just like her eyes.

They looked lizard like and took up most of her face. They were far too big for her pale ghost complexion. And they seemed to shift.

Every blink.

Shifted.

They changed from black to blue to mauve to green- every time she blinked. They seemed to entrance anyone who looked into them.

'Well you guys must be lost,' she said after a while, in a lilting voice.

'Who said so?' Surge challenged.

'You're in my backyard,' the girl deadpanned.

'Oh.'

'We didn't mean any harm,' Hellion offered, tentatively.

'Yeah I figured,' the girl replied with a small smile. 'You guys are so hopelessly unarmed.

'That's what you think,' Surge snapped.

'Sparks,' Trance warned softly.

The girl looked terrifyingly _glad_ Surge had challenged her.

'Can anything you've got match_ this_?' the girl asked, her eyes dancing in glee.

One minute she was standi- _hovering_ there, and the next she was exploding.

Her body ripped open from inside out and she began transforming into a massive lumpy creature. The shadows bent towards her as she grew and grew, even taller than her petite house. The creature that she'd become vaguely resembled a giant bat. Its matted fur was caked in blood and its wings unfolded above its head- paper thin and shredded in places. It turned its monstrous head to face them and Trance nearly fainted away.

The bat creature had no eyes, just gaping voids for where it had sockets. Its tiny nose twitched in their direction and a small pink tongue dashed out from between its lip-less mouth. It screeched and lunged for them, relishing in their screams.

And then it was shrinking and receding back into the porch where it had grown from.

'I thought not,' the girl said smilingly, as she finished transforming back.

'What the_ heck_ was that?!' Jack cried, helping Trance to her feet.

'Ah, just my true form, that's all,' the girl said cheekily, dismissing their horror with a wave.

'Your true form?!' Hellion groaned.

'Who _are_ you?' Surge asked in a shaky voice, cursing herself for not electrocuting that beast.

'I'm Marceline, the Vampire Queen,' the girl replied. 'Don't worry, I won't eat you.'

Hellion had been thinking about this _quest_, and what he would have to face. He knew realms were dangerous, especially ones he'd never heard of. But nothing he'd thought of would have prepared him for this.

They were all in the Vampire's house, seated uncomfortable on her stone hard sofa, while Marceline floated around listening to their tale. Apparently Vampires didn't need to sit. Ever.

She'd been friendly so far, showing only a fleeting sadistic pleasure in their horror.

She didn't answer any of the questions they'd had concerning her and her… cannibalistic tendencies.

Wait- was it even cannibalism if she wasn't human?

Hellion didn't know.

He needed Elsa. He needed her beside him, on this stupid rock sofa. If she were here, she would've frozen that bat-creature no doubt. If she were here she would've attempted to hover as well, instead of sitting on this goddamn couch. If she were here-

Hellion paused.

He could feel himself growing sadder. He couldn't afford to. His game always got thrown off when he mourned.

He couldn't help wondering how Elsa was though.

She must be so scared, he wondered.

As strong as she was, he knew she had a weak spot.

Loneliness.

Abandonment.

She hated being lost. And confused.

Right now she was probably all those things and he could only blame himself.

He sighed. This day was exhausting him. This land was stranger than he'd expected. According to the Vampire, it was going to be hard for them if they couldn't handle her weird transformation.

'Ooo is full of creeptastic things,' she chortled.

'Ooo?' Jack asked, raising a brow.

'that's where you are- the Land of Ooo,' Marceline said, grinning. 'Looks a mess… but it gets messier.'

'Sounds like a dumb place to me,' Surge complained, shifting on the couch uneasily.

'If you say so,' the Vampire acquiesced, shielding a Cheshire-cat-grin from their view.

'We're looking for a friend,' Trance offered meekly, still recovering from her near cardiac arrest.

'You won't find any here,' Marceline answered.

'No, you don't get it. Our friend was abducted and brought here,' Jack explained, watching the Vampire carefully.

Her eyes shifted too much for his liking. He felt the constant need to be on guard.

He also wanted to sleep, this couch was so nice.

'Abducted you say?' Marceline asked, perking up in interest. 'Ooh, by who?'

'We don't know,' Hellion replied shortly.

He didn't trust this….._thing_.

'And now you all are lost and helpless?' Marceline continued, ignoring Hellion's suspicious frowns and Surge's indignant protests.

'Yeah, mostly,' Jack admitted.

'Well you're in luck,' Marceline announced. 'I can help you.'

'Just like that?' Trance asked with a frown.

'We don't need your help,' Surge snapped at the same time.

'Of course you do, don't be silly,' Marceline laughed. 'And no, there's a price to my assistance.'

'How much?' Hellion fired back.

'Two things,' she answered with a smug smile.

'Care to articulate?' Jack asked slowly.

'Nope. It's too long,' Marceline sighed wearily. 'Plus, it'll take more time and we could be on our way to saving your friend.

Hellion drew a deep breath.

'Fine,' he snapped. 'Just two things.'

Marceline nodded with a grim expression. 'Just two.'

'Fine,' Hellion repeated, much to Surge's chagrin.

'Wait, you must swear on it,' the Vampire added, with a sheepish smile. 'Forgot that bit. Promises are vital here in Ooo.'

Hellion rolled his eyes and stood up from the sofa. 'Fine, fine, we promise. Happy?'

Marceline grinned. 'Very.'

'So now what?' Surge exclaimed. 'You said you'd help us?'

'Uhm, I'm actually going to find you the help you need.'

'What?'

'Well there's really only two people who're totally cut out for this job.'

'And who're they?'

Marceline's face soured. 'The stupid boy and his dog.'

'Uh, and how do you know they'll help us?'

'Oh, they'll help, alright. They always help. They're stupid like that.'

* * *

><p>AN; well hellooo there i'm glad you read this fic. leave a review and we'll be best friaaands :3

i scared you off didn't i?

anyhoo..

Marceline my bae! i love these guys so much adventure time is my JAM. can't wait to write my heroes into the story. have fun. follow to keep up with my updates. warning; i'm not a frequent updater... but holidays are nearing so be in for a load of new chapters

soon.

toodles i'm late for breakfast.


	2. The Dog and his Boy

**Disclaimer: disclaimed.**

**i have returned :O i am so sorry for leaving this fic in the dust for a long while. spare me while i attempt to rescue it. there's major surprises in store. **

**read on lovelies. review fave and follow if you please**

* * *

><p>Everything was cold.<p>

Goosebumps raced across every inch of flesh left exposed and a chill crawling down her spine caused her to shudder uncontrollably. Prying her palms off the frozen floor beneath her, she struggled to her knees. She couldn't move her head. Her arms shook with effort when she hoisted her body off the floor. Her eyes strained with the effort of staying open. Her body was so cold… so cold…

_Where am I?_

A million shattered reflections of herself stared back in blurry confusion, surrounding her in a kaleidoscope of distress. Her heart pounded in her chest, so loud it seemed to echo against the walls that held her captive. How long had she been here? How long was she going to have to stay? Who brought her here? She didn't know. She was so tired. So… very… tired.

_What am I doing here?_

The walls… the walls reached up so high. They towered over her and leaned inward so that they reached a point where all four walls met in a tapered arch. Deadly stalactites drooped down from above, aiming straight for her. They shone in the dim light and sparkled with a horrific beauty.

She gulped.

Her prison was all too familiar.

_What is this place?_

She couldn't remember much… just that she had been whisked away from home. _Home._ How far away was she? Where was everybody else? Were they looking for her?

She hoped so.

Hellion… where was he?

She needed him. Right now. She wanted him to save her. Again. She needed saving and she hated herself for it.

Was he coming to save her?

She hoped so.

_It's so cold…_

The ice around her was unforgiving. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't warm herself. The special X-Men jumpsuit she was wearing had torn in several places and was no longer functioning as a body heat retaining outfit. It had betrayed her. The cold seeped in and stayed there, close to her body. It clung to her skin and kept her cold constantly. Freezing her with every moment that passed.

Her lips felt blue.

She couldn't tell.

In her reflection her whole face was blue.

_How ironic_

Her fingers were shaking now. She didn't know where she was. Or how long she'd been there. Or long she'd been awake. Was it day time? Or was it the middle of the night? She didn't know… she didn't know…

Where was her captor? What was he going to do with her?

Was she going to die?

She hoped not.

How ironic.

_The Ice Queen was freezing to death._

* * *

><p>'What on earth is that?!' Surge exclaimed, shielding her eyes from the glare of the rising sun.<p>

'That?' Marceline asked, breezing past them on her back. 'That's just the tree fort. It used to be mine.'

'Whose is it now?' Trance asked with a grimace, taking in the dilapidated wooden structure before them that had been constructed around the body of a strange tree.

'Finn's,' Marceline said. 'I lent it to them.'

'That's nice,' Hellion deadpanned.

'So… the people who're gonna help us live in here?' Jack asked with a wince, surveying the house before them.

'Yup,' the Vampire agreed. 'Someone ring the doorbell, I'll hide and scare whoever comes to get it.'

With that, Marceline flew up over the small wooden porch and crouched in wait.

'You've got to be kidding me,' Surge groaned.

Hellion trudged up to the wooden door and knocked six times.

And another six times.

And another-

'Calm down whoever you are!' a voice said from inside tiredly. 'We're busy you know.'

The door opened with a creak.

Hellion froze in place.

'Are you a dog?' he asked in bewilderment.

'What kind of question is that?' the orange animal at the door asked snappily, placing a paw on its hip.

'BOO!' Marceline cried, tumbling off the roof above the porch.

'This is so pathetic,' Trance mumbled, running a hand through her hair.

'Marceline?!' the dog whimpered. 'What do you want?'

'YOUR HOUSE!' the Vampire shrieked, making a scary face.

The dog looked unimpressed. 'Seriously, woman? You said we could have it. We gave you the cave.'

'Yeah well, I'm bored now,' Marceline admitted sheepishly.

Hellion cleared his throat decisively.

The dog squinted up at him and stretched up to his eye level.

Like literally… the dog stretched.

His entire torso lengthened so that his head reached Hellion's height and looked him in the eye.

'Who're these guys?' it asked, giving them a once over.

'They need your help finding a friend,' Marceline explained, pushing past the dog and entering the house.

A scream from inside signaled that she'd scared the other inhabitant.

'Come in,' the dog told them. 'But no funny business, alright.'

Hellion stepped through the doorway and shuffled into the house, followed by Jack, Surge and Trance. The dog led the way through a set of winding stairs that looped around the tree, through the bark and finally opened out onto a landing. The room was cozy enough but clearly was crowded when they all stepped through. In the middle of the room were a large couch and a coffee table with a board game spread across it messily.

'Awh man,' the dog groaned. 'Who messed up our game?'

'Jake!' a voice screeched. 'Jake, it was Marceline! Man, I didn't see her coming. She freaked me and messed everything up! I'm sorry, man.'

'Finn? Is that you?' the dog asked, sniffing around for his friend. 'Where you at, bro?'

'She stuck me in a cupboard, man,' the voice whined.

The dog chuckled and headed over to a small pantry are and kicked open a cupboard door with a snort.

'Not that one man,' the voice groaned. 'Up on top.'

The dog laughed. 'Seriously? How'd you get all the way up there?'

The animal stretched over the small stove and reached up for a cupboard that sat against the wall. With grabby paws, it opened one cupboard and then the next.

Something tumbled out of the final cupboard- a hulking dark shape, along with a can of beans and a marshmallow.

'Oh look, food!' the dog cheered, grabbing the marshmallow. 'The game got me so hungry.'

The shape on the floor groaned. As it stretched to its full size, the others could tell it was a boy. A young boy by the looks of it, in a blue tee and shorts and a strange bunny hat pulled over his ears. He had wobbly knees and skinny arms and large blue eyes that peered at them owlishly.

'Hi,' Hellion ventured.

'Who're these guys, Jake?' the boy asked slowly.

'They need our help,' the dog replied with a shrug. 'Marceline said so.'

The boy cowered in place and looked around in fear. 'Oh, she's still here?'

Surge sighed loudly. 'Listen kids, this was clearly a mistake. We can't possible ask you two for any sort of help in our 'quest' of sorts… so bye.'

With that she turned to leave, gesturing for the others to follow.

'Quest?' the boy asked, perking up. 'What do you mean quest?'

'We're looking for a friend of ours,' Jack explained, while Surge scowled at him furiously.

'You'll find no friends in Ooo,' the dog said ominously.

The boy laughed at that. 'Except for us,' he said amiably.

'And PB,' he added, with an afterthought.

Warily, Hellion noted the fact that they hadn't mentioned the Vampire in their list of possible allies.

'I'm Jake and he's Finn the Human,' the dog said in a way of introduction, noticing the newcomers' growing expressions of confusion.

'What's with the fancy title?' Trance queried, observing the boy before her.

'I'm the last human in Ooo,' Finn sighed, running a hand across his face.

The X-Men nodded slowly at that fact.

'So what are you guys?' Jake asked, eyeing them suspiciously for the second time that day.

'Erm,' Hellion ventured. 'We're mutants.'

'Like the Candy People?' Finn asked skeptically- probably because he'd noticed that they didn't even remotely resemble any form of candy.

'No, kid,' Surge snapped. 'We have powers. We're dangerous and lethal killing machines. We're not even from here! We're from another… another world. Realm. Whichever.'

Finn gasped inaudibly. 'Raaaad,' he mouthed.

'Portal jumpers, huh,' the dog snorted distastefully.

'I'm a Guardian,' Jack offered.

'Of what?' Finn asked, still in awe from Surge's revelations.

'Nobody cares,' Surge interjected. 'Will you help us?'

'What do you want?' the dog- Jake- interrupted, crossing his arms and glaring at them like as if he hadn't fully believed Surge's claims.

Hellion took the lead and began explaining their situation to the two strange habitants of Ooo. 'One of our friends, another very powerful mutant, was abducted a few hours ago by someone who came from this realm. We're trying to find her- could you help us in anyway?'

The boy and the dog exchanged a long glance of concern.

'We already have some leads,' Jack added. 'I have samples of the residue the portal left mixed with my own magic. We can separate it and maybe try and trace it to where the portal really was opened or something. Accurately.'

Finn shook his head solemnly. 'That won't be necessary,' he said grimly. 'There's only one person snatcher around these parts.'

He and the dog sat on their couch, facing the newcomers and adopted stern expressions.

'Is your friend… erm, let's say- royalty by any chance?' Jake asked, stroking his furry chin with his paw.

Trance rolled her eyes. 'No… she is a mutant- weren't you guys listening.'

The duo exchanged another long glance.

'Well,' the boy surmised, tapping his forehead systematically. 'Is she a princess then?'

Surge groaned exasperatedly. 'She's not-,'

Hellion cut in, startled. 'Yes. Yes she is.'

Trance giggled. 'We know she's your princess, Greenie, I'm sure the kid was taking it in the literal sense.'

'No, think about it,' Hellion snapped. 'She was wearing that damn crown, and her name basically suggests royalty. Reine… that means _queen _in some funky foreign language.'

'How does that even matter in this instance?' Surge moaned glaring at the boy and his dog.

'It matters much,' Finn noted soberly. 'For it has helped us figure out who took your friend.'

'Already?' Trance gasped. 'How could you know so fast?'

'I'm a genius,' Finn bragged, while Jake nudged him painfully in his side and said; 'It's obvious.'

'What do you mean 'it's obvious'?' Hellion asked, annoyance writ across his features.

'There's only one man in this realm that could be responsible for this,' Finn croaked, clutching his side while his face burned a violent shade of red.

'The symptoms spell it out clearly,' Jake explained. 'We know of a man who kidnaps royalty. Princesses to be exact. And he is most definitely the guy who stole your girl.'

'Who is this man?' Hellion seethed, fingers curling to fists against his sides.

Finn gulped and tugged at his shirt collar.

'The Ice King,' Jake announced, and the room fell into a terrible, horrific silence.

Trance wanted to cry.

'How bloody ironic.'

'What sort of man is he?'

Hellion paced the small living room of the tree house determinedly, glaring at the floor as if he could laser through it like Cyclops.

Jake snorted derisively from the couch and curled into a cuddly ball. 'He's disgusting and old- with a crazy white beard and his stupid crown. But he's powerful, I'll give him that. One time, he cursed all of Candy Palace, just by his dandruff.'

'His _what_?!' Trance squealed.

'So much of ice involved,' Surge groaned, glaring at Jack as if this entire dilemma was somehow his fault.

The Guardian ignored her and continued concentrating on what the dog and his boy had to say.

'Ice King is powerful,' Finn mused. 'But we can take him on no problem. The castle is a bit tricky though.'

'He has an ice castle?!' Surge deadpanned. 'Great.'

'It's hard to sneak into. What with all the bodyguards, it will be a tough job. But if all of us are going it might be easier,' the boy said with a shrug, scratching the top of his white bunny hat.

'What's the white bunny hat for?' Trance asked, suddenly. 'If you don't mind me asking.'

Finn blushed. 'It's ah… it's personal.'

The mutant nodded in understanding. She knew a friend who'd colored her hair an outrageous color for personal reasons. Even though she'd never revealed her reason, Megan's choice had always been respected, like Surge. Even though she had looked crazy for the first three weeks or so.

Trance shook herself to dispel the unwelcome memories. 'So where is this Ice Palace?' she asked.

'It's a good day's trek up North,' Jake answered glumly. 'It could've taken less time if it were less of us. I can't carry all … erm, one- two –three… ahem, five of us on my back. It would be too crowded. We'll have to walk.'

Hellion sighed. 'What does he want with her?' he asked tiredly.

Finn cast his eyes towards the floor. 'He uh… I'd rather not say.'

The telekinetic glared at him with animalistic anger burning in his eyes, as clear as day. 'Tell me NOW or so help me I'll-,'

'Man… it's kinda… off-putting,' Jake said slowly, backing away from the fuming mutant.

Hellion growled at the back of his throat before lurching forward with his telekinesis at his fingertips, already hoisting Finn into the air from several feet away. 'Tell me now! Tell me what he's gonna do with her! Tell me right now or I'll-,'

Jack spurred into action, reaching towards the barreling telekinetic with his staff and shooting a blast of ice at his feet.

'What will he do to her?' Hellion yelled, as his feet froze to each other, effectively tripping him up.

Finn thumped onto the floor beside him, released from the telekinetic hold.

'He'll marry her, alright?!' Jake shouted back; crouched on the head of the sofa, clinging to it fearfully. 'He'll force her into marriage- he's psycho like that. The old king is a downright creep- he'll marry her if we don't get to her in time and then who knows what he'll do. He'll probably whisk her off to some other realm again or they'll rule the penguins forever from his freezing kingdom!'

Hellion's eyes watered from where he lay sprawled across the living room floor. He snarled to himself, berating his own abilities. If only he'd moved faster. If only he'd gone after her sooner… if only….

If only…

'Hellion, don't worry,' Surge said, helping him to his feet. 'We'll find her in time.'

Jack apologized gruffly and unfroze the mutant's feet. The Guardian didn't know what to think. Some psychotic king was going to make Elsa his wife?! What kind of sick, twisted world were they in? He hoped they got to her in time, like Surge had promised.

'We're sorry man,' Jake offered, assisting his friend off the floor.

The boy dusted his pants and groaned. 'If it's Ice King, we'll have to move fast. Last I heard of him, he was recruiting evil snow golems.'

'Oh damn,' the dog mused, incredulously. 'We should've seen it coming. He's fortifying the palace! And we thought it he was making harmless friends.'

'You thought a bunch of evil golems were his friends?' Surge repeated, looking quite stunned.

'Well it must be lonely up there with only the penguins for company,' Finn said, shrugging.

'So that's it?' Jack surmised. 'We travel up North and get Elsa back? Seems easy enough.'

'Don't,' Trance squealed, clamping both palms over the Guardian's face. 'Don't jinx this up, please. It could only get worse.'

'YEAH,' a voice growled in agreement. 'I COULD EAT ONE OF YOU!'

Finn let out an undignified yelp and dove behind the couch in the living room, quaking with fear. The dog inflated twice its normal size and snarled threateningly at the new voice.

'Don't try it, Marceline,' it snapped.

The Vampire materialized out of thin air, head drooping as if she was sad.

'Aw, come on,' she mumbled. 'You guys steal all my fun.'

'It's NOT funny!' Finn cried in outrage from where he was hiding. 'It's painful. And gross.'

'Too bad these guys owe me!' the Vampire crowed, waving her pale arms in the direction of the mutants.

Jake the dog glared at the X-Men with disbelieving eyes. 'You're in debt to a Vampire? Please tell me it isn't a sworn debt?!'

Trance gulped. 'It is?'

Jake clamped his paws over his muzzle and stared at them in silence, unblinkingly.

Behind the sofa, Finn began to wail.

'This is waay to dramatic for its own good,' Surge groaned, rubbing her eyes in a vain attempt to rid herself of the headache she could feel coming on.

'Alright!' Hellion agreed in exasperation. 'We'll pay your damn debt and get on with our way. No need to cry about it!'

At the last sentiment, he glared pointedly at the couch. A shaking Finn arose from behind it and nodded diligently. He scooted around the piece of furniture and took his place alongside his dog.

'What do you want, Marceline?' he asked, rather confidently for someone who'd just been whimpering in fear.

'Two things,' the Vampire said lazily, twirling herself in the air. 'First, I want Blue head.'

She cupped Surge's cheeks and gave them a friendly pat.

'I think you'd be _great_ in my band.'

Surge froze in place, glaring daggers at whatever was before her. 'You want ME for the debt?!' she asked in a deadly monotone.

'Yeah,' Marceline shrugged noncommittally. 'My drummer died.'

'You want me to be in your band?!' the mutant deadpanned.

'Yeah,' Marceline intoned. 'We've got a gig in Bubblegum Palace.'

'Whoo! Can we come see?' Finn cheered, leaping a foot in the air.

'Dude, we've got a friend to save,' Jake reminded, slapping a paw against his forehead.

'What is wrong with all you people?' Hellion whispered horrifically, running his hands roughly through his already tousled hair.

'I'm just collecting what you owe me,' Marceline pouted.

'Fine, have her!' Hellion cried. 'Can the rest of us get on with this already?'

Why couldn't he just once have a crew of sane helpful people to aid him on his journey? First it was the rag tag team of Guardians and now it was a rag tag team of crazy people- which was pretty much the same thing as the former.

'What about the second debt?' Trance asked tentatively.

'You weren't supposed to remind her!' Surge growled darkly, shooting evil glances at the Vampire.

Marceline looked hurt.

'I didn't forget,' she said. 'I'm just going to pick up on it later.'

'Great,' Hellion snapped furiously. 'That's splendid. Can we leave now?! I'd like to get to the psycho ice man before he _marries_ my _girlfriend_.'

Finn colored a startling shade of red and Jake chuckled knowingly. The boy in the bunny hat sauntered off into a hole in the tree bark that ran through the entire house and returned with a small green backpack.

'A kiddie school bag?' Surge mocked. 'Really? That's gonna be great defense against the evil snow monsters.'

Finn ignored her. 'It's got all my important stuff. There's the Enchiridion, in case we run into anything we haven't seen before. Like those snow golems- I've never heard anything like it. We'll check 'em up in the book along the way. Also, I left my sword in here.'

He dug around the bag for a few seconds and produced a strip of green that seemed to be a leaf.

Hellion didn't have the heart to break it to the kid that his "sword" wouldn't be of much help. Just when he was about to suggest that Finn leave it behind, the strip of green attached itself to the boy's forearm and transformed into a weapon that very much resembled a katana- but still looked pretty much like a blade of grass.

'Alright,' Finn said, as the sword returned to the form of a brace around his arm. 'Let's go.'

Trance shook her head as if to clear her mind of the increasing weirdness that was this realm they were in and sighed as she bade her friend good bye.

'Have fun in the… band,' Trance stated, her lips quirking in a wry smile.

Surge grunted in plain annoyance while Marceline practically cooed with glee.

'We're The Scream Queens!' she added with a toothy grin. 'And this gig is going to be… legendary!'

'It better be worth missing this rescue operation,' Surge muttered blandly.

The Vampire's eyes glazed over and she cast them to a side, avoiding the curious glances that pinned her down.

'Oh yes it will,' she agreed quietly.

Surge brushed off the Vampire's weirdness as an expected norm, and nodded towards the direction of the door.

'Go you guys,' she urged , rousing Hellion and the others into action. 'Hurry and don't forget to come get me once you've kicked this old weird guys arse!'

The telekinetic shared a lazy grin, before bolting through the tree house and leaping outside, eager to be on his way. The others scrambled after him hurriedly, Jake the dog stretching his way through until they all stood outside, watching Hellion race across the fields in the wrong direction.

'Didn't you say we were headed North?' Jack asked quietly, his internal compass immediately alerting him to the fact that Hellion was most definitely going the opposite way.

Finn nodded and restrained a laugh. 'Hey, mutant!' he called, cupping his hands around his mouth to ensure the running Hellion could hear him. 'North's the other way!'

It took all four of them yelling for Hellion to notice something was up and it took another five minutes for him to understand what they were saying. Once the telekinetic had trudged back to the laughing rescue party, they all turned on their heel and, still chortling merrily at his expense, headed due North in search of evil snow golems, an ice palace and a very distressed, soon to be wed Ice Queen.

* * *

><p>an: hey hey hey happy early christmas :3 eheheheheeh...

so, i have come back. with this chapter. the next is already being written, fear not. i will not make you wait longer. leave your suggestions, ideas and criticism for me! reviews are love and PMs are lovelier. everything and anything is welcome... for starters- let's talk christmas. what do you want for christmas?

i know what i want :3

a Tardis.

ps( has anyone realised what's similar in the chapter titles? tell me if you see where i stole them from)


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